This application claims the priority of German Application No. 101 17 130.7, filed Apr. 6, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a method for digitally transferring information via telephone connections, in which a receiver registers a sender's telephone number.
A known method of the above-mentioned type is the so-called wireless call positioning service (WCPS). This known WCPS method was presented in the article “Im Netz der Netze [In the Network of Networks]” in the periodical teleTraffic, 9-10/2000, pp. 38 et seq. In this method, a data packet of up to nine characters is attached to an ISDN telephone number as a call-number extension. This data packet is evaluated by a telephone computer, and used further, for example, for a vehicle-positioning system.
The drawback of this known WCPS method is that it is dependent on the maximum transmittable character chain in ISDN telephone numbers.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to improve the above-mentioned method with regard to the independence of the telephone network operator.
This object is accomplished by a method for digitally transferring information via telephone connections, in which the receiver registers the sender's telephone number. The method is characterized in that the receiver is allocated a plurality of callable telephone numbers. The receiver detects each call to a callable telephone number by a certain sender as an individual piece of digital information associated with the called telephone number. A piece of total information is formed from the individual digital information. Further advantageous modifications of the invention are described and claimed herein.
In accordance with the invention, in a method for digitally transferring information via telephone connections, in which the receiver registers the sender's (caller's) telephone number, the receiver is allocated a plurality of telephone numbers to select. The receiver is, for example, a called telephone, a called ISDN system having a plurality of telephone numbers, and/or a called, expanded telephone computer. Each dialing (calling) of a callable telephone number by a specific sender is detected by the receiver, which registers both the sender's telephone number and the dialed telephone numbers, as an individual piece of digital information associated with the dialed telephone number (e.g., dial=1, non-dial=0). The pieces of individual digital information associated with the dialed telephone numbers are combined to form a piece of total information, and may be displayed.
The receiver, in the form of a telephone computer, preferably has a dialing-registration system for registering the sender's telephone number and the telephone numbers dialed by the sender. The receiver additionally has an evaluation unit for processing the individual information and forming and/or displaying the total information.
The method according to the invention is preferably used in geographic vehicle positioning. In this application, a specific vehicle is associated with the sender's telephone number. Furthermore, a surface grid for a possible location is defined by x and y coordinates. The callable telephone numbers are assigned to the x and y coordinates of the surface grid. Finally, at least two individual pieces of digital information for the x and y coordinates are used to form a piece of total information relating to the instantaneous vehicle position, and may be displayed.
The invention expands upon the principle that the receiver can already evaluate a dialing (telephone call) of a certain telephone number as information, even if the call is not accepted. The subject of the present invention does not necessitate the use of the telephone-number extension. The dialing of a particular phone number alone serves as digital 0/1 information (an example of an individual piece of information). If a plurality of callable telephone numbers is available, an arbitrary quantity of information can be transferred. When a specific telephone number is dialed, the caller (sender) is identified by his assigned telephone number (e.g., by the SIM ID in GSM). The sender's telephone number can therefore be allocated to a certain user or a certain transmitting object (such as a vehicle).
Accordingly, in the method of the present invention, the number of callable telephone numbers corresponds to the bit number for a code from which the total information is formed.
An advantage of the method, receiver and application according to the invention is a simple system for digital information transfer, utilizing—at no cost—existing systems (i.e., telephone connections that utilize radio systems (e.g., GSM)).
The drawings illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention. They depict the application of the method according to the invention for geographic vehicle positioning.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.